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The Office for National Statistics data showed that the trade deficit shrank from £4.3bn in August to £2.7bn in September, on the back of improving goods exports and slowing demand for foreign-made products.
Construction figures were weak, showing that output in the industry contracted by 2.6pc over the third quarter to its lowest level in 13 years. But the official figure was not materially worse than the ONS’s estimate of a 2.5pc contraction. The ONS said the revision would have a “negligible” impact on GDP. Chris Williamson, an economist at Markit, said: “The data add to the view that the economy enjoyed something of a bumper third quarter, during which GDP is estimated to have risen 1pc.”
The trade figures provided the greatest reason for optimism. The goods deficit fell from £10bn in August to £8.4bn in September, better than forecasts of £8.9bn. Exports rose by 1.1pc, while imports fell by 3.9pc – rekindling hopes that the economy is finally “rebalancing”.
Nida Ali, economic advisor to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, said: “With exports rising sharply in the third quarter and imports falling slightly, it looks like net trade contributed strongly to GDP growth.”
The improvement in trade was driven by bumper exports of chemicals and the biggest fall in imports for nine months, as purchases of oil and other fuels from overseas providers declined.
The goods deficit with the European Union, which buys about half of British exports, narrowed to £4.4bn in September from £5bn in August. Exports to the EU fell 0.1pc on the month, while imports dropped 3.5pc.
Britain’s manufacturers have been trying to build up their presence in markets beyond Europe, which looks like it will be a drag on demand for some time to come due to the eurozone crisis.
However, economists warned that the good news may be short-lived. Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight said: “Unfortunately, the prospects do not look great for a further positive contribution from trade in the fourth quarter given the pressure on exports coming from on-going very weak domestic demand in the eurozone and generally soft global growth. The latest survey evidence on foreign orders is soft and weakened in October.”
The construction figures also highlighted the difficulties faced in the construction sector. Mr Archer said: “The construction sector continues to be hampered by major headwinds, notably including public spending cuts, an extended weak economy, a struggling housing sector and problems in getting funding for large-scale projects.”
There are hopes the wider economic recovery will kick-start building work, while the Government is separately planning initiatives aimed at boosting infrastructure and house building.


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South Korea Announces Plan to Ban Their Dog Meat Industry — “Like a Dream Come True”
The legislation aims to end the practice by 2027. Here’s what you can do to help right now.
Your pet wants you to read our newsletter. (Then give them a treat.)
After years of growing opposition from local and international organizations alike, the People Power Party of South Korea has introduced an act to end the South Korean dog meat trade by 2027.
According to Humane Society International (HSI), the dog meat trade is responsible for the deaths of roughly 30 million dogs each year. One million of those deaths occur in South Korea, where there are large-scale breeding farms. “Dogs on South Korean meat farms are kept locked in small, barren metal cages, left exposed to the elements and given just enough food, water or shelter to keep them alive,” the HSI reports.
The dog meat’s trade declining popularity
In recent years, the industry has faced massive scrutiny. “I mean 10 years ago, it was a different story. There were 17,000 dog-meat farms across the country, in the countryside,” says Gina Boehler, founder of Korean K9 Rescue, an organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating dogs who are victims of the dog meat trade. “Rescue organizations in Korea say now it’s about half of that or less. It’s a very small segment of the population that actually consumes dog meat. Nobody thinks it’s a good thing.”
In fact, a 2022 poll showed that only eight percent of South Korean respondents had eaten dog meat in the past year, and 64 percent opposed the practice completely — down from 27 percent in 2015. The younger generation is especially unlikely to eat dog meat; the most cited reason for dog meat consumption is societal pressure from older family members.
New legislation in South Korea
The introduced act will ban the meat trade and the breeding of dogs for slaughter. “We are planning to enact a Special Act to ban dog meat within this year to address this issue as soon as possible,” Yu Eui-dong, policy chief of the People Power Party, said after a meeting at parliament. He expects the bill to win bipartisan support.
The act allows a three-year grace period to allow businesses to transition out of the trade. Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun told the meeting that the government will provide the maximum amount of support possible to help those in the industry close their businesses.
“News that the South Korean government is at last poised to ban the dog meat industry is like a dream come true for all of us who have campaigned so hard to end this cruelty,” says JungAh Chae, executive director of Humane Society International/Korea.
How you can help
Activists are hopeful that other countries will follow South Korea’s example. In the meantime, during South Korea’s three-year grace period and in countries not yet enacting bans, there are still many ways to help.
Peter Li, the China Policy Specialist at Humane Society International, told The Wildest in a previous interview that one way to help is to dismantle misinformation and spread the work done by activists. “I want to add that there is a misconception about people wanting to eat dog meat, or that there is a consumer demand for dog meat. This is a false perception. It is a consumption driven by the traders. Dog meat is not a household food,” Li said.
Asia for Animals Coalition, Duo Duo Project, Korean K9 Rescue, the Soi Dog Foundation, and Harbin Slaughterhouse Survivors are a few of the organizations continuing the work to end the dog meat trade. You can support their work by spreading their message, sending donations, and adopting available dogs who were rescued from the meat trade.
On June 21, thousands of dogs will be slaughtered in Yulin, China. Organizations working to ban this barbaric event need your help to raise awareness now.
With the help of flight, this nonprofit is saving animals and relocating them to loving homes across the country.
In volunteers’ Instagram videos, you’ll see both the joy and the fatigue behind finding these deserving pets homes.
The fair-housing org’s journey from bumper stickers to databases.
ASSERT co-founder Ryan Okrant tells The Wildest about his work — from tornadoes in Kentucky to war in Ukraine.
Sio Hornbuckle is a writer living in New York City with their cat, Toni Collette.

domain: news


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500K Walmart workers to get raise next month
Most of Walmart's U.S. employees will get raises as part of the world's largest retailer's previously announced commitment to invest in its workforce.
Walmart, which announced in October that it would invest $2.7 billion in its workforce over two years, said more than 1.2 million U.S. hourly workers will receive pay increases.
The company, which has 1.4 million U.S. workers, also will provide basic short-term disability at no cost to full-time hourly workers and allow workers to accrue paid time off as they earn it.
Previously, Walmart raised its base employee wages for 500,000 workers to $9 per hour last April, and is increasing hourly pay to at least $10 an hour, starting next month.
The moves come as the nation's private employer has been under pressure from labor-backed groups. The company also announced last week that it would be closing more than 250 stores worldwide.


text: profitability of coffee shops 2. The factory system period Friends and colleagues gathered to applaud worthy winners across seven categories – and recognise the creativity and dedication which underpin the whole sector’s contribution to the economy, to society and to customers, staff and stakeholders. In 2017, the blockchain enters the public eye through bifurcation, CryptoKitties and ICO. Driven by investment opportunities and media attention, traditional businesses and consumers have begun to focus on the cryptocurrency and its underlying blockchain technology. On Wednesday, the U.S. house of representatives passed a revised republican tax reform bill. U.S. President Donald trump has called the tax reform a historic victory, and lower regulation would be good for the economy. The tax reform bill is the largest U.S. tax reform in three decades and the first comprehensive tax reform. Revenue from the storage business grew by 7% to $1.4 billion, largely driven by a significant increase in SSD sales. On a year-on-year basis, revenue was up 61%, mainly driven by an increase in SSD market share... In the consumer market, client market, enterprise and cloud market growth reached double digits.


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Calum MacLeod set up glamping site design consultancy Glampitect nearly three years ago, expanding into the UAE in March 2021.
Since then, the firm has grown, culminating in this latest project in partnership with UAE engineering specialists Rescom.
According to a report, the ground-breaking unit was unveiled at the Dubai Hotel Show.
Manufactured by Glampitect’s emirate factory, the pods are 6.7m x 3.3m as standard, and the air-conditioned units have powder-coated aluminum tiles on the outside, flat-screen TV, and a modern kitchen, giving the feel of home away from home.
The units are versatile and can be transformed in many ways and can be converted into any type of space, from a home office to a yoga studio or spa room.
The pods are built on a galvanized state chassis which permits them to be moved around and picked up to various places, another appealing feature.
The two Dubai-based companies are convinced that this partnership will contribute to accelerating the growth of glamping across the Middle East.
The pods are ideal for anyone who wants to start a glamping business.
“The transportable luxury pod is just the start for us. The big advantage is that it can be taken out into the desert or hard-to-reach places, so there is a high degree of flexibility,” said MacLeod.
“It’s ideal for people looking to set up a glamping site or who have additional space in their house. It is much cheaper than setting up a hotel, and makes a quicker return on investment than a hotel, so will be a major asset for anyone wanting to move into the glamping business,” MacLeod added.
“It’s just starting to take off here: compound annual growth rate for the glamping industry is 14.1%, and we’re looking to help accelerate that growth.”


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His new Mitre 10 store, more than twice the size of the existing location, opens on Thursday next week.
Wheeler, who has owned and operated the Mitre 10 in Te Kuiti for over 20 years, says about six years ago he woke up one night, concerned about the future of his business.
“Retail in small towns is dificult to say the least. I wanted to keep as many as my customers here, the Mitre 10 group was taking off, and we needed to make a complete offer,” he says.
Wheeler had to think outside the square to build a new store – and he did just that.
He imported the whole building from Florida, in the United States in one flat-bed and four 40 foot containers.
The recession in the US resulted in many buiding being commissioned but never used for commercial purposes.
“I bought it (the building) sight unseen, which was a bit of a gamble, but the people in Florida were excellent to deal with,” he says.
The containers basically contained steel frames, cladding, and fittings, and local tradespeople erected, repainted and repurposed the building.
Wheeler believes he has saved in excesss of $1 million doing it this way.
The commercial building market in Te Kuiti has picked up with new supermarkets and petrol stations also going in to the small town.
The halo effect from Auckland is noticeable, says Wheeler, with many new residents arriving upacking their bags and coming in to the store for plugs and hooks.
“They are sometimes stand-offish to begin with and then we ask their name, and get to know them, and they start to feel like locals,” he says.
A second generation Mitre 10 owner, Wheeler grew up doing chores
after school in his Dad’s Mitre 10 store down in Taumarunui, which is now run by his brother Kim.
“My Dad told me about the opportunity to buy the Mitre 10 up here 20 years ago, and it was probably one of the best things I ever did.”
The new store will offer the same range, service and price as Mitre 10 stores in the cities, he says.
It is situated just two blocks down from the original store in Taupiri St.


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CANADA: Molson and Coors complete merger
Molson Inc and Adolph Coors Company have finally completed the transaction that will see them merge to become the world's fifth largest brewer.
"Molson Coors Brewing Company is a new global brewing company with the operating scale and balance sheet strength to be a major player in the continuing consolidation of the brewing industry," the two groups said in a statement.
Despite opposition from some shareholder groups, particularly on the Molson side, shareholders from the two brewer approved the combination at their special shareholder meetings held at the end of January and beginning of February.
The Quebec Superior Court approved the transaction as required by Canadian law on 2 February.
W. Leo Kiely III, chief executive officer of Molson Coors Brewing Company said: "By combining Molson and Coors, we have created a company with the market and financial strength necessary to drive organic growth and compete more effectively in today's increasingly challenging global market, while preserving the rich heritages of two of the world's most prominent brewing companies. We look forward to drawing on this brewing heritage and the combined strengths of a world-class management team to deliver greater value to our customers, partners, employees and shareholders."
"This transaction marks a new and important chapter in the history of both companies," said Eric H. Molson, chairman of Molson Coors Brewing Company. "It leverages successful business relationships and builds on the strategic and cultural fit between our two companies. With an impressive track record in brewing excellence, the new Molson Coors Brewing Company will be a dynamic and competitive organisation that will create long-term value for our shareholders and the communities in which we operate."
Molson Coors is more likely than not to keep hold of its Brazilian operations because of the huge potential of the market there, an analyst has said. This is despite a run of poor results from the com...
Molson is to start production of Coors' Blue Moon beer for the US market from its Montreal brewery....
First quarter losses announced last week by Molson Coors are wider than originally reported, according to a recent filing....
Molson Coors Brewing Company disappointed investors yesterday by reporting a net loss for the first quarter of 2005. The company said that it had achieved higher consolidated net sales and sales volum...
Molson Coors Brewing Company said yesterday that Daniel J. O'Neill, Vice-chairman, synergies and integration and formerly president and CEO of Molson Inc, has chosen to leave the company May 31 of thi...
Heineken has its eyes on possible acquisitions in Latin America, according to the company's CEO....
Molson Canada has announced it has acquired Ontario microbrewery Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd. Established in 1987, the brewery in Creemore, Ontario, 120 kilometres northwest of Toronto, employs 50 pe...
Peter M. R. Kendall, chief executive officer of Coors Brewers Limited, the European business unit of Molson Coors Brewing Company, will retire from his post on 1 May....
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Ford is recalling about 74,000 Focus hatchback cars with manual transmissions in the U.S. and Canada.
Tyson Foods is recalling more than 130,000 pounds of chicken nuggets, as the chicken could contain pieces of hard plastic.
Yahoo has confirmed a massive 2014 data breach that affects 500 million accounts.
Krispy Kreme has unveiled a doughnut inspired by Reese's peanut butter cups. Would you eat it?
From bacon-wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich to deep-fried double bacon cheeseburger on a stick to the Frydae, the options are…
This Sunday, Natalie Mikles with Made in Oklahoma stopped by the Hard Rock kitchen to share her recipe for game day dipping sauce.


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Companies caught up in the YouTube craze are eager to put videos created by consumers on their Web sites and in TV spots — but their attorneys are trying to restrain them long enough to explain the legal pitfalls of such advertising.
The consumer clips are typically rounded up through a contest, with a promise to broadcast or post the winners. In a recent Doritos campaign, the winners were aired in commercials during last month’s Super Bowl XLI football game and are still posted online.
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The HD DVD vs. Blu-ray war has been a little one-sided since Warner ditched the HD DVD camp for Blu-ray, and the DVD successor may be taking its last breaths.
Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products, says that officially no decision has been made to concede the fight just yet. “Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings,” she said.
However, in the same announcement, she hinted that something was surely up stating that “Given the market developments in the past month, Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players.
Last week, two major retailers Best Buy and Netflix pledged to Blu-ray exclusivity stating that the Warner decision was the turning point. Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey said that he feels that the war is over and Blu-ray is the winner.
Analysts suspect that Toshiba may abandon the format sometime in the coming weeks. Despite its last ditch efforts, including slashing the price of players by up to %50 and a $2.7 million superbowl ad, Blu-ray is still clearly selling more content and players. Experts say that Toshiba is likely losing as much as $200 dollars on every HD DVD player sale.


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Soulskill from the waiting-for-technology-to-catch-up dept.
Ant sends in a story at CNet about the evolution of downloadable console games, ranging from Intellivision's PlayCable in 1981 to the modern systems we see today. Quoting:
"Intellivision was the first home console to let users download games via a coaxial cable line. Subscribers rented a special cartridge that hooked up to local cable and would be able to download single games that could be played until users decided to download new titles. The service's downfall was a result of innovations to Mattel's Intellivision game system, which began using cartridges with ever-increasing amounts of memory. The PlayCable service could no longer keep up, since the special cartridge could hold only a fourth of the total space that newer games required."
timothy from the stay-warm-date-a-swede dept.
Anonymous Pirate writes "Operators of The Pirate Baystand trial on Monday in Stockholm. The four defendants from the popular file-sharing web site are charged with being accessories to breaking copyright law and may face fines or up to two years in prison if found guilty. The four defendants have run the site since 2004 after it was started in 2003 by the Swedish anti-copyright organization Piratbyrån. The Swedish public service television announced that they are going to send a live audio stream from the trial. It will be broadcast without editing or translation."


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Let's take a quick look back to Christmases long, long ago. In those days, opening up a box to find an unappealing sweater was just an unfortunate reality, a reminder to be more specific on next year's wish-list. Itchy, gaudy knitwear was something you pretended to love, something you endured to spare a family member's feelings. Maybe you'd toss on an ugly sweater once a year to appease Aunt Ethel, but otherwise it sat in the closet unloved and unremarked upon.
Today, ugly sweaters are an industry onto themselves. Irreverent party-goers can celebrate their favorite meme, honor a beloved sitcom, and (where permitted) get a little raunchy with their choice of jumper. And they're only getting more popular. An analyst at Edited, a retail-focused analytics platform, reports that sweater sales have gone up 42% since last year. With entire websites devoted to all things ugly, shoppers don't even need to visit the mall (or support that eCommerce company) to get in on the holiday cheer.
Many of these sweaters are a lot of fun, but Teen Vogue reports that they're almost all "terrible for the planet." Like most novelty items, mass-produced ugly Christmas sweaters are cheaply made and quickly discarded. Studies by UK-based environmental charity Hubbub found that a whopping 95% contain plastic and 40% are worn just once before they're tossed in the bin. Since these sweaters aren't built to last (or wear in earnest) that's rarely a donation bin.
Even shoppers who hold onto their sweaters for several years' worth of chuckles aren't doing the planet any favors. Acrylic, the most common plastic in mass-produced ugly sweaters, releases 730,000 microfibers with each wash. That's more than five times the pollutants produced by a polyester-cotton blend garment. Scientists have found these microfibers in everything from polar ice to human excrement. In a sense, even the Ebeneezer Scrooges among us are forced to take part in this destructive holiday tradition.
While your Baby Yoda sweater won't single-handedly send the world deeper into its climate crisis, Hubbub suggests it's most definitely part of a growing problem. So-called "fast fashion" - which promotes rapid production and even more rapid waste - is anathema to both the planet and those trying to protect it. Hubbub considers the annual tradition of buying and discarding cheap, plastic-based clothing "one of the worst examples of fast fashion." That's saying something.
In addition to the environmental costs of cheap seasonal laughs, there's the immense human toll. After all, it's not Aunt Ethel knitting these sweaters, but employees in countries where "cheap labor, lackluster worker protections, and worse oversight" promote exploitation.
Taking a more sustainable approach to holiday parties doesn't have to mean forgoing ugly sweaters altogether. Second-hand stores are always chock-full of castoffs from Christmases past. If the holidays find you in a particularly creative mood, you might even consider sewing an ugly sweater of your own. Preferably, Teen Vogue concludes, "out of natural fibers, which are more likely to degrade when they escape into the environment."


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India is expected to be the third-largest consumer economy as its consumption is likely to triple to $4 trillion by 2025 owing to shift in consumer behaviour and expenditure pattern, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said in Paraguay on Thursday.
Addressing the India-Paraguay Business Forum meeting in Paraguay, the Vice President said Paraguay is an important partner of India in the Latin American and Caribbean region and there is an enormous potential to further increase this engagement.
Naidu is the highest level representative from India to visit Paraguay in the last 58 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on September 13, 1961.
He said the bilateral trade in 2017-18 increased by around 20 per cent to $335 million and there is immense scope for the Indian companies to investment in Paraguay, especially in automobile, pharmaceuticals and engineering goods segments.
He said Paraguay leads the world in the export of renewable energy and offers interested Indian investors opportunities in the sector of small and medium-sized energy-generation components.
Naidu said India-Paraguay Joint ventures in the pharma sector could greatly benefit Paraguayan consumers and noted that India extends e-visa facilities to all Latin American and Caribbean countries including Paraguay.
He said India is witnessing a country-wide sweep of digital connectivity, transformative economic reforms, favourable demographics and a vibrant start-up ecosystem.
"India is expected to be the third-largest consumer economy as its consumption may triple to $4 trillion by 2025, owing to shift in consumer behaviour and expenditure pattern. We have started work to build next-generation infrastructure including 100 Smart Cities, 7 high-speed train corridors and nationwide broad-band connectivity," he said.
Earlier during his visit, the Vice President Naidu met Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez and discussed terrorism and a range of bilateral issues.
According to an official statement, Paraguay said it would support India's candidature to various United Nations and other multilateral bodies, including permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.
Naidu also met Paraguay's Vice President Hugo Velazquez and President of the National Congress (Senate) Silvio Ovelar.
"Both sides agreed that terrorism posed a grave threat to global peace and stability, stressing that there could be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever. Outlining a common desire to take an uncompromising stand against terror, India and Paraguay have agreed to cooperate to deal with the menace of terror," the statement said.
Paraguay decried the brutal terrorist attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14, saying India could always count on its support in the fight against terrorism and in voicing India's concerns on terrorism in international fora.
Citing the scourge of cross-border terrorism in India, Naidu stressed the need to take strong measures against terrorists, terror organisations, their networks and all those who encourage, support, finance and provide safe haven to them.
Paraguay also affirmed its support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism proposed by India.
The Vice President also emphasised that Paraguay is an important partner of India in the Latin American and Caribbean region and said that bilateral relations have been showing an upward trend.
The Indian and Paraguayan leaders noted with satisfaction the strengthening of bilateral relations over the years and the 10-fold growth in the bilateral trade over the last decade, while agreeing that there is greater scope to increase trade volume and diversify the trade basket.
Naidu urged the Paraguayan leadership to explore new areas of collaboration including agriculture, hydro-electric and solar energy, health, pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine, Information and Communication Technology, and biotechnology. Both sides agreed to facilitate promotion of exchanges between academics and universities and also between stakeholders in tourism.
He requested Paraguay to facilitate convening of the next round of expert-level discussions between regional bloc MERCOSUR and India to take forward the shared agenda of the expansion of the Preferential Trade Agreement.
He also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Diplomatic and Consular Academy of Paraguay and the Foreign Service Institute of India.
"Decision was made to task experts from both nations to finalize pending agreements including Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, Bilateral Investment Treaty and for Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance," the statement said.


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Instead of door-to-door delivery, cities will be switched to a system of community mailboxes where letters and parcels will be available for pick-up, much like in rural areas and subdivisions.
It's not yet clear how the plan will affect Toronto specifically, though 6,000 to 8,000 jobs will likely be lost nationwide as the cost saving measures are rolled out.
According to the official version of events, six years after it was founded in Hamilton, Ont. by former Maple Leafs defenceman Tim Horton, the wildly popular coffee and donuts franchise had opened its first Toronto store at 853 The Queensway, and in doing so created a foothold for an empire in Canada's largest city.
But the Queensway store was not technically the first Tim Hortons in Toronto - an earlier incarnation of the company fled the city amid falling sales and rabid competition in the 1960s before almost dying out entirely.
"I stand by my words, what I said with Conrad Black," Ford said at a press conference this afternoon. "I stand by every word I said with Mr. Black in my interview."
From major corporate landlords to smaller, shared workplace operations, there are many options available to those looking for an office in Toronto. We've already rounded up some of the top shared office spaces, but given the importance of neighbourhoods when deciding where to locate a company, we've broken down the options (both shared and otherwise) available in six key areas in Toronto so as to highlight what each has to offer the prospective renter.


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Connected Lab Picks Up Where Xtreme Labs Left Off
Mike Stern doesn’t mind working behind the scenes.
The co-founder and CEO of Connected Lab, a Toronto-based development studio for-hire is always working on projects for other companies, much of the time he can’t even talk about what he’s working on.
“We don’t mind,” he says. “Often we are in in the trenches, behind the scenes helping big brands launch their products. However, often it’s at a company like Connected where … you actually get to be part of the team that takes an idea from the back of a napkin to the nuts and bolts of product development.”
That comfort with being behind the scenes applies to his business as well.
Connected Lab launched in the fall of 2014 but didn’t announce its existence until November.
“There wasn’t really any need to not be under the radar,” he says. “We just wanted to roll up our sleeves and focus on working. Not much has changed since we announced that we exist.”
The team behind Connected Lab has a long history of working in the contract development business. Most the core team, including Stern, worked at Xtreme Labs, a studio-for-hire that was acquired by San Francisco-based Pivotal in 2013. That core team, a group of 10 people, is mostly made up of Canadians who were working in Silicon Valley, there they worked on what would become some of the world’s most popular apps.
“We helped build the first few iterations of Uber’s mobile apps, we helped Facebook move from a mostly web offering to a mobile offering and then built the first Facebook Messenger applications with their team,” Stern says.
It gave the team a first-hand view of the shift from web to mobile.
“We kind of saw how that transition was happening a little earlier than a lot of the other bigger brands,” Stern says. By 2014, he says, the team knew it was time to focus on the “next wave of innovation.”
That next wave of innovation is often called the internet of things but Stern doesn’t like the phrase.
“The term IoT is such a loaded and broad term that it’s almost meaningless,” he says.
He says there’s been too much hype around IoT and not enough thought.
“Because so many brands were late to mobile and then had to play catch-up to figure out how to create a mobile strategy and then execute on it, I think a lot of brands are looking at IoT and sort of rushing into the space,” he says. “I think there’s a lot of people building connected devices and connected device software that either is broken or doesn’t solve a real customer need.”
He says Connected Lab takes a different approach.
“Our methodology is really centred around building user-centric software that works and actually enhances their lives, often a lot of our value is around challenging our clients premises around what they think they should build,” Stern says.
He says the products Connected Lab is building go well beyond single apps.
Currently, Connected Lab is working with two of the largest software companies in the Bay Area; it’s building connected headphones and connected speakers with significant audio brands; it’s also working large car manufactures and with a company developing a hyperloop concept; here in Canada, it’s working with several large banks and media companies.
Since launching, Connected Lab’s team has grown to 55 people.
“The amount of talent here in Toronto is breathtaking,” Stern says. So far, the company has received 4,200 applications.
“We truly believe, and our clients tell us, that we’re the best software team for-hire in North America right now and it’s in a large part because of how strong our pipeline of talent is,” Stern says.


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Riverside Farmers, Arts, Crafts & Flea Market
Now in it’s third year, the market has expanded to offer more crafts and flea market items.
The event runs every Sunday from 8.00AM -3.00 PM in the parking lot of the Riverside Sportsmen’s Club (10835 Riverside Dr. E.).
Vendor Inquiries please call Kim at (519) 903-0318.
The Amherstburge Farmers’ Market is also open and the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market opens on Saturday, June 11 from 8am to 1pm.


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Chinese label Mithridate, named after the King of Pontus, made its international debut with a fall collection reimagined by multimedia artists Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti as a digital experience called “Automatiste” for the London Fashion Week digital showcase. Through machine-learning algorithms, artificial intelligence and real-time extended reality technologies, several looks are being reinterpreted as a piece of art.
The Look: Classic and easy-to-wear pieces with pretty details. A bit of everything for all.
Quote of note: “The approach toward Mithridate’s debut on the digital schedule was to explore innovative technologies, embracing new possibilities presented by this new fashion landscape. Through this multimedia experience created, it allows viewers to be immersed in a game-ified world whilst using their devices as portals of discovery to explore the collection,” said Demon Zhang, founder and creative director of Mithridate.
Standout pieces: Butterfly-print dresses, orange tie-dye high-waisted jeans and an oversized puffer with a giant rhinestone rose.
The takeaway: Exploring the tech add-ons is fun for those who have been in multiple lockdowns. The message of the collection, which is supposed to be a reflection of Zhang’s “trans-mutative psychological journey” through 2020, didn’t stand out as strongly as the designer intended.


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KTM dealerships have started teasing the launch of Duke 790 in India.
KTM has not yet confirmed the launch of Duke 790 for the domestic market. According to some KTM dealers, the KTM Duke 790 will be launching in India by December this year. A KTM dealership in Pune has teased that the KTM Duke 790 is coming soon in India.
We can expect that the KTM Duke 790 will be available to us via CKD route along with some locally produced parts. The parts like engine, chassis and suspension are expected to be imported from Austria. While the alloy wheels, tyres, lights, body panels, wiring harness, handlebar and mirrors will be made locally.
The KTM Duke 790 will get traction control system, launch control along with multiple riding modes. The Duke 790 will be powered by a 799cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine producing 103.5 BHP and 86 Nm of peak torque. This engine will be mated to a 6-speed transmission with a standard PASC slipper clutch.
The Duke 790 is expected to be priced at Rs. 6 lakhs (ex-showroom, India) which makes it compete against the Suzuki GSX-S750, Kawasaki Z900, Ducati Monster 821 and the Triumph Street Triple S. All these motorcycles are priced between Rs. 7.5 lakhs to Rs. 9.5 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).
KTM Duke 790 India Launch
– KTM Duke 790 will be available via CKD along with locally manufactured parts
– Expected to be priced at Rs. 6 lakhs
– Powered by a 799cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine producing 103.5 BHP and 86 Nm


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Cost Of 'Cup Of Joe' Going Up For Some Starbucks Buffs
Company Announces Price Hikes In South, Northeast
Starbucks is raising some prices regionally -- including in the American South -- as it faces tough competition and rising ingredient costs.
The Seattle-based coffee chain is raising prices about 1 percent in the Northeast and Sunbelt regions. Starbucks won't disclose all of the states its raising prices, but the regions include New York, Washington, D.C., and most Southern states excluding California and Florida.
Other cities where it will raise prices include Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and Albuquerque, N.M.
The price for a "tall" coffee will go up 10 cents in the regions. But beverages that are "grande," the next size up, won't change.
Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson says the prices reflect competition in certain markets and higher costs for coffee, fuel, and other commodities.
The last across-the-board price increase was in 2007.
In New Orleans, Starbucks competitors include PJ's Coffee and Cafe Du Monde, both based in the Crescent City, and CC's Community Coffee House, which is headquartered in Baton Rouge.


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Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronic Co., Ltd. was the first of a series of ongoing lawsuits between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics regarding the design of smartphones and tablet computers; between them, the companies made more than half of smartphones sold worldwide as of July 2012. In the spring of 2011, Apple began litigating against Samsung in patent infringement suits, while Apple and Motorola Mobility were already engaged in a patent war on several fronts. Apple's multinational litigation over technology patents became known as part of the mobile device "smartphone patent wars": extensive litigation in fierce competition in the global market for consumer mobile communications. By August 2011, Apple and Samsung were litigating 19 ongoing cases in nine countries; by October, the legal disputes expanded to ten countries. By July 2012, the two companies were still embroiled in more than 50 lawsuits around the globe, with billions of dollars in damages claimed between them. While Apple won a ruling in its favor in the U.S., Samsung won rulings in South Korea, Japan, and the UK. On June 4, 2013, Samsung won a limited ban from the U.S. International Trade Commission on sales of certain Apple products after the commission found Apple had violated a Samsung patent, but this was vetoed by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.
On August 31, 2012, The Tokyo District Court ruled that Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets did not violate an Apple patent on technology that synchronizes music and videos between devices and servers. The three-judge panel in Japan also awarded legal costs to be reimbursed to Samsung. Presiding Judge Tamotsu Shoji said: "The defendant's products do not seem like they used the same technology as the plaintiff's products so we turn down the complaints made by [Apple]."
Some have claimed[who?] that there are a few oddities with Samsung's U.S. Patent discussed by Hogan during the interview, specifically that the '460 patent has only one claim. Most US patents have between 10 - 20 separate claims, most of which are dependent claims. This patent was filed as a division of an earlier application, possibly in anticipation of litigation, which may explain the reduced number of claims. The specifics of this patent have not been discussed in the Groklaw review or the McKeown review because most[who?] believe that the foreman misspoke when he mentioned the number of the patent in question; a more detailed interview with the BBC made it clear that the patent(s) relevant to the prior art controversy were owned by Apple, not Samsung, meaning that his mention of the "460 patent" was a mistake.
The case in question on Friday is the other big battle between Apple and Samsung. Like the other case, Apple and Samsung sued each other over alleged patent infringement across a slew of mobile devices. Apple had initially sought $2 billion on the patents cited in the case, but was awarded just $120 million by a jury in 2014.
One order of dismissal entered in the District of Delaware and the other order of dismissal entered in the Northern District of California, marked the official end of the patent war which played out between consumer tech giants Apple and Samsung for the better part of the past decade. This legal dispute, which was brought to courts in 10 different countries and even went to the U.S. Supreme Court, is notable because it undermines the argument that major patent infringement battles harm tech consumers through added costs and blocking innovation.
Anyone who decides to advance the idea that patent infringement suits either hurt consumer choice or are a detriment to the U.S. economy, especially in light of the results of the settlement between Apple and Samsung, is duplicitous.
Stepping into a highly charged legal battle between the smartphone giants, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider Samsung's appeal of rulings that the Korean company infringed on design patents in U.S. rival Apple's popular iPhones.
It is true, and I think the Samsung team tried to make these arguments of should it really be the case that the casing of the phone, the rounded corners on the rectangle and the spacing between icons on the grid need to be protected. And we have to keep in mind that there is this distinction between the design patents and the utility patents. The utility patents are much more about the functionality of the phone; the design patents are just about the non-functional elements. These things come together as a package to the consumer.
Rockstar may want to keep the patent conflict as a kind of "proxy war" between Google and its competitors. But Google has plenty of patents, and this new attack seems assured to bring a counterattack.
This is structurally reminiscent of a recent agreement between Apple and Google/Motorola, though the Apple-Google-Motorola agreement had worldwide scope. But there are also some important differences between the related U.S. lawsuits. Not much had happened between Apple and Motorola yet in the U.S., while there have been three U.S. trials already (in two federal litigations) between Apple and Samsung. Another difference is that Apple's U.S. dispute with Motorola never involved design patents (Apple only asserted the European equivalent of a design patent, a Community design, against a Motorola tablet in Germany). Design patents account for the bulk of the damages award Apple obtained in its first California case against Samsung.
On the occasion of this high-profile ceasefire, it's worth taking a quick look at where all those high-profile patent infringement lawsuits against Android have gone. The answer is: pretty much nowhere. Apple settled with HTC before anything big had happened. It agreed on a ceasefire with Google/Motorola (also before anything of note had happened between the two). It has now limited its litigation with Samsung to the U.S., where the first case is on appeal and now only about money (Apple gave up its quest for an injunction in that first litigation). There's still something going on between Microsoft and Motorola in the U.S. and Germany, but so far Microsoft has not gained decisive leverage over Motorola, after almost four years of litigation. I explained this in my recent post on a contract lawsuit filed by Microsoft against Samsung. If Microsoft prevails on its interpretation of its patent license agreement with Samsung, there won't be any infringement actions between those two companies for a long time; otherwise we might see some.
It was only a matter of time before the patent disputes between the tech giants and telcos, particularly in the smartphone sector, sparked the interest of competition regulators. Recently, firms seem very fond of going down the preliminary injunction route, which bans their rival's product from the shelves and kills off competition at an early stage. 2b1af7f3a8


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The number of government-issued digital IDs will grow to 5 billion over the next five years, but blockchain-based products are behind the curve and will not be a big part of the solution, according to a new research report.
The tech giants are coming for the banks. If there’s one message to be taken out of Facebook’s aggressive push into blockchain-based payments via its new cryptocurrency, libra, it’s that Facebook is now also a FinTech company.
Facebook wants to do to Bitcoin—and maybe even the dollar, euro, and yen—what it did to MySpace and Friendster by launching a new cryptocurrency called libra, announced on Tuesday after months of anticipation and speculation.
Facebook has signed up a who’s who of tech and financial powerhouses to back its forthcoming stablecoin, including Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Uber, the Wall Street Journal reported on June 13.


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In recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month, the fast food chain Burger King partnered up with NoBully.org to perform an unusual experiment.
They staged a loud, demonstrative teenage bullying situation (with actors) inside one of their restaurants to see what customers what do.
On the other side of the counter, Burger King employees “bullied” a Whopper Jr. before serving it to customers, also to see what they would do.
They found that 95% of customers complained about the state of their food, while only 12% of these customers stood up for the kid being bullied in the corner.
But when those 12% stood up, it was in a truly meaningful, empathetic way, relating it to their own experience from which they learned.


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Look Beyond The Hype To Uncover The Real Opportunities
The metaverse has been a source of much promise, confusion, and speculation. Media headlines tout any extended reality (XR) experience as “the metaverse,” but it’s misleading: The metaverse doesn’t exist today; only a few precursors do. And we’re years away from the actualization of the internet’s 3D layer of interoperable and interlinked immersive environments.
Our just-published report, The State Of The Metaverse, establishes Forrester’s definition and point of view on the metaverse and recommends that business leaders plan for future opportunities — by experimenting with metaverse precursors — while tempering expectations and investments.
Consumers Remain Skeptical Of The Metaverse And Meta
While companies jockey to build the metaverse, consumers remain skeptical: According to Forrester’s December 2021 Consumer Energy Index And Retail Pulse Survey, about a third of online adults (34% US and 28% UK) are excited for the metaverse and less than 30% (29% US and 25% UK) think the metaverse will be good for society.
In February, we asked Forrester’s ConsumerVoices Market Research Online Community (MROC) to describe the “metaverse” (see Figure 1). Responses (reflected in the word cloud below) reveal how Facebook disproportionately shows up — a credit to Facebook’s October 2021 name change to Meta. In fact, nearly half (47%) of US online adults (and 37% of UK online adults) who indicate they know what the metaverse is, associate Meta with the metaverse — more than any other company we surveyed in our December 2021 Consumer Energy Index And Retail Pulse Survey. However, far fewer (22% US and 17% UK) think that Meta is the leader in building the metaverse.
Enterprise Innovation Is The Surprise Route To Metaverse Adoption
Metaverse-style experiences have a better chance of driving near-term value in the workplace. In the wake of the pandemic, organizations have embraced anywhere-work strategies — more distributed forms of work — including hybrid office strategies. Anywhere work opens up a need for innovative tools that can help connect employees, like the virtual office in the cloud employed by early adopter Accenture. Built on metaverse-style experiences, the concept of a virtual office in the cloud incorporates metaverse precursor technologies like avatars, virtual rooms, and digital whiteboards.
But enterprise experiences will require employees to climb a steep learning curve. After they do, we think something interesting will happen: reverse consumerization of IT, whereby some employees who learn how to use metaverse-style experiences at work will want to use them at home, too.
Read our full report to dive deep into:
- What the metaverse is and what the metaverse isn’t.
- Forrester’s three phases of metaverse maturity.
- How the metaverse will affect the customer experience (CX).
- Forrester’s consumer metaverse adoption segmentation.
- Why the future of work is the key to unlocking the metaverse.
- The tech and non-tech headwinds facing the metaverse as it’s being built.
- What CMOs, CIOs/CTOs, digital, design, HR, and operations leaders should do next.
Clients can check out for our recent webinar, “The State Of The Metaverse: Look Beyond The Hype,”
Want to learn more about this topic? Join us at the upcoming Technology & Innovation North America event live September 29-30 where I’ll be presenting a session entitled The Future Of The Internet? The Metaverse, NFTs, And Web3.


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FP TrendingMar 26, 2021 12:11:54 IST
Sony’s Play at Home initiative has reached a new level as the company has decided to provide PlayStation users with free games to play, but for a limited time. Currently, a total of nine games are available for free with more to join in the future. The games are now available to buy for free via the Sony PlayStation Store. What’s interesting about this scheme is that the PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now membership to get access to the free games. The nine gaming titles are now up for free and this will continue until April 23 (8:00 pm PT or 8:30 am IST). Here is the list of these titles:
Starting today, you can download a selection of 9 free games as part of #PlayAtHome:
-Enter the Gungeon
-Astro Bot Rescue Mission
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 25, 2021
Here are the 9 PS4, PS5 games available for free
ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
Enter the Gungeon
As per a report by The Verge, it is suggested that some games would require PSVR headsets (Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Moss, Thumper, and Paper Beast). PS5 owners can use the PlayStation camera adaptor for the same.
The new free games join the existing free game, Ratchet & Clank (for PS4), which was made a free game recently when the ‘Play at Home’ initiative began. The game is still free until 31 March.
Sony won’t stop just here. As per a blog post, it is suggested that more games are to join the free ones. The Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition will be available for free, starting 19 April. Following this, more new games will be added to the list, which people would be able to enjoy while staying at home.


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Mailbox e-mail client fills 1M reservations, adds 'shake to undo' in updateDropbox-owned Mailbox announced on Thursday that it has filled one million reservations as part of a rolling release to iPhone users, and is marking the event by issuing version 1.1 of the app which adds "shake to undo" to its feature set.
In a post to the official Mailbox blog, the company also said it had finished moving into its new office after being acquired by cloud storage giant Dropbox last week. According to reports at the time, the popular e-mail client was picked up for between $50 and $100 million.
Mailbox reached the one million member mark after just six weeks of availability, with demand remaining high for access to the iPhone-only app. In an early look, AppleInsider found the client's unique "to-do" list interface to be an effective method of sorting and managing e-mail messages.
Now added to the software's feature set is the new "shake to undo" capability, which takes the idea of undoing text changes, as seen in Apple's iOS, to app-wide e-mail management.
While a queue still remains for Mailbox, reservations can be placed through the free to download app and will be filled in the order in which they are received.
On Topic: App Store
- Yelp comes to Apple Watch in latest app update, brings nearby business discovery, search, ratings, more
- AppleInsider's iOS app gets support for native iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screen resolutions, Apple Watch companion app in update
- IFTTT's streamlined 'Do' apps get Apple Watch treatment, iPad support
- Apple's iOS App Store widens revenue lead over Google Play in Q1 2015
- Microsoft updates Office 2016 for Mac Preview, intros new iPhone apps for Office 365


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There seems to be no end in sight for consumers’ passion for secondhand clothing finds. ThredUp, a powerhouse in the resale category, says its third-quarter sales coasted to a record $63.3 million.
And while losses increased to $14.7 million, worse than the $11 million it lost in the comparable period last year, the company says it is stepping up its infrastructure investments to better serve the surging demand, including a new distribution center.
The number of active buyers grew to 1.4 million, while the number of orders hit 1.3 million, growing 14% and 28%, respectively, compared to last year’s results. Both are also records.
The Oakland, California-based company says it has expanded its existing resale-as-a-service programs with Madewell, and started new programs with Adidas, Michael Stars and most recently, with Crocs.
For Crocs, the partnership connects to its commitment to become a net-zero company by 2030. Its customers can generate a prepaid shipping label on ThredUp’s site, donating them to Croc’s Clean Out program. For a limited time, Crocs is donating a shopping credit to encourage participation.
New research from investment company Raymond James indicates continued enthusiasm for thrifting. It recently surveyed 575 U.S. consumers, reporting that 69% of respondents are either very or somewhat likely to buy from a used clothing site in the future, up from 60% in last year’s survey, and 55% in 2019.
Interest remains highest among the youngest consumers, with 25% of women between 18 and 29 already shopping these sites, versus 21% of the total. The 30-44 age group is the most active among male respondents, with 21% already using.
The company finds brand awareness continues to build. Poshmark still reigns as the best-known brand, recognized by 54% of the survey, followed by ThredUp (39%), TheRealReal (23%), Depop (18%), StockX (16%), GOAT (14%), Tradesy (9%), and Fashionphile (6%).


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Tron is a platform used to create and deploy decentralized applications. Tron is one of the rivalries of Ethereum, and the platform has been growing ever since it gained independence from the Mainnet of Ethereum. Over the past day, the digital currency has been leaping higher, seeing a whopping ten percent increase.
The upsurge in the value of Tron (TRX) helped to surpass Litecoin (LTC) and Stellar Lumens over the past twenty-four hours. The increase also helped the market cap of the digital currency to cross the $2 billion mark for the first time since August last year. The digital currency also rose up to the 7th position on the list of top digital currencies in the world by market cap. However, it is now down to the 8th position as Litecoin (LTC) has reclaimed its position.
Tron (TRX) Posted Better Gains than the U.S. Dollar and Bitcoin (BTC)
Over the past month, Tron (TRX) has outperformed both the U.S. dollar and Bitcoin (BTC). Since Tron (TRX) started its bull run in mid-December last year, the value of the digital currency has surged by more than 130%. Nevertheless, the digital currency has lost about 90 percent of its value since its all-time high a year ago.
The market cap of Tron (TRX) also hit a record high of $16 billion when it tested its all-time high during the massive bull run in December 2017. The recent price trend of Tron (TRX) has resulted in an increase in the use of the blockchain protocol of Tron for decentralized applications.
The use of Tron blockchain-based Dapps has also been boosted further by the forthcoming BitTorrent token sale, which started today and will run through Feb. 3. The token sales will be divided into two sessions, and investors can purchase BitTorrent tokens with either Binance coin or Tron (TRX). Holders of Tron (TRX) will also get BitTorrent tokens in an airdrop, and the first batch of the airdrop will be released in early February.
TRON (TRX) Price Today – TRX / USD
BitTorrent is a professional version of the file-sharing platform, and its new features include an HD media player, anti-virus, and unlimited downloading with file conversion. Meanwhile, the value of the digital currency has been sent higher by Weiss Ratings analysts, who applauded the popularity of the digital currency.
In a Twitter post, Weiss Ratings said: “We might give Tron a hard time every now and then, but give credit where credit is due. The chart of the TRX/USD is the most bullish one among the top ten digital currencies in the market right now. The popularity of this project can’t be denied.”
Tron Aims to Outperform Ethereum
The blockchain platform of Tron, which is led by Justin Sun – is aimed at outperforming Ethereum as the largest platform for creating decentralized apps and experiencing daily volumes of $400M, up from just $200M a couple of days back.
On the other hand, Bitcoin (BTC) and other top digital currencies in the market continues to stagnate. Investors and traders are looking for signs of regulatory updates, app developments, or institutional support as a reason to sell or buy.
When there is news regarding development or partnership, it can cause the value of a digital currency to surge sharply, says the senior marketing analyst at broker eToro – Mati Greenspan. Greenspan added that what we are seeing now is the effect of a flat market, the general sentiment noise is fading away so the development of individual tokens is getting more attention.


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Software Development, Games Development, Mobile Development, iOS Development, Android Development, Window Phone Development. Dot Net, Window Services,WCF Services, Web Services, MVC, MySQL, SQL Server and Oracle Tutorials, Articles and their Resources
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Looks like an October release for the iPhone 5, no iPad 3 until 2012
It is being reported that the iPhone 5 or 4S, whatever they are going to call it, is now going to be released on October 7th. Previously it was reported that the next generation iPhone would be out on September 7th.
Apple's next generation iPhone, be it an iterative "iPhone 4S" or a completely revamped "iPhone 5" could go on sale October 7 in the US. That's a Friday, which isn't uncommon for iPhone launches. Originally it sounded more like a second week of October launch, more like October 14, but now it sounds like the first week. We're still hearing that an "iPhone 4S"-style device, with improved processors and optics, is more likely than an all new design, but given the many and varied rumors, it's impossible to tell for sure. It could even be that the "iPhone 4S" is the budget iPhone Apple supposedly completed work on just before WWDC 2011 (the iPhone nano, so to speak), and the "iPhone 5″ is the new high-end model. That could explain the supposedly conflicting rumors.


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Tag Archives for " flying cars "
Recently, Hyundai released a flying car concept that it was bringing to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The full-scale prototype was then displayed at CES. Now the South Korean automaker has upped the ante.
Not only will Hyundai mass produce these electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, but it will also deploy them for Uber’s promised air taxi network.
Uber announced its aerial ambitions back in 2016 with a white paper that outlined a future “Uber Elevate” project. The ride-hailing company has said it wants to perform its own test flights in 2020, and plans to launch some version of an air taxi service in 2023, starting in Dallas Texas, Los Angeles, California and Melbourne, Australia.


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Cash, Trade, Payments, Funding
Financial markets, Operations, Technology
Tax, Compliance, Governance
Moves, Case studies, Corporate strategy
Conference, Webinars, Roundtables
Find out who is the best in the business
15 results found
A battle over the soul of supply chain finance is raging as fintechs slam banks as outdated, banks accuse fintechs of being lightweights and the rating agencies who insist that trade credit is not debt
The corporate treasuries of a range of large Australian businesses can now take advantage of the country’s first cloud-based e-procurement platform.
Indian pharmaceutical giant Cipla tells CT about the benefits of using C2FO’s invoice discounting platform for itself and also its vast supplier base
Once the domain of risk-takers and corporate buccaneers, these days the humble corporate treasurer is expected to be across commodity hedging. CT looks at what to look out for.
Notional cash pooling avoids the physical transfer of foreign exchange, reducing FX risk. The US tech manufacturer's Yvione Zhou explains how it works in Asia.
As Ripple's first real-time cross-border payment solution aimed at corporates goes into action, does Swift need to be worried?
Due to a lack of pre-payment control, demand for using credit cards for procurement purposes is still very low. However, recent developments in Australia could change all that.
Jerome Tan, CFO of IMI explains how to manage a successful overseas acquisition, and how to conduct effective due diligence, and prevent unnecessary tax exposure.
In the second part of our series from Swift, the world’s largest payment system says finding the best use case is the secret to getting the most from the technology
The Indian FMCG is working with the State Bank of India to provide non-recourse working capital financing for key distributors in India. CT explains how.


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Equity One Inc., a Miami-based real estate investment trust (REIT), recently added to its presence as a major retail player in Buckhead with the $68 million purchase of Buckhead Station, its second retail center purchase in Buckhead in a year.
The March 9 purchase of Buckhead Station, located on the Buckhead Loop between GA 400 and Piedmont Road, reportedly is one of the companies largest purchases the REIT has ever made and is part of what the company says is its new strategy to focus on the nation’s strongest retail markets, including Atlanta.
In March of 2006, Equity One purchased Piedmont-Peachtree Crossing shopping center on Piedmont Road between the Loop and Peachtree Road — home of what is affectionately known as the “disco Kroger” — for $48 million from Minerva Investments.
In addition to buying up established shopping centers, Equity One also has plans in the metro Atlanta market for new centers, including ones in Union City, South Fulton and Canton.
The two Buckhead shopping centers account for around 400,000 square feet of retail space on 25 acres. The newer Buckhead Station has 233,739 square feet and is home to Bed, Bath & Beyond, T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, DSW shoes, Toys “R” Us, and other national retailers.
The older Piedmont-Peachtree Crossing, a 152,239-square-foot shopping center at 3330 Piedmont Road, includes a Cost Plus World Market, Starbucks, Jason’s Deli and other retailers and restaurants.
Equity One said both centers have the zoning in place to add retail, residential and office components, but the company said the Piedmont-Peachtree Center has the more immediate potential for adding retail density.
Although the company’s immediate plans for Buckhead Station are to operate it the way it is for the foreseeable future and see where the high-rise market goes in Buckhead, with zoning already in place, it is likely redevelopment will take place at some point in order to increase the density of the property.
Cousins sues Carter over
Buckhead Avenues name
Cousins Properties Inc. is suing Ben Carter Properties LLC for trademark infringement over Carter’s use of the name Buckhead Village for the $800 million redevelopment of much of the area formerly known as Buckhead Village.
Cousins claims the Buckhead Village name is too close to the name “The Avenue” that Cousins adopted in 1998 for that company’s retail concept. To date, Cousins has developed eight retail centers with the name The Avenue.
In the complaint filed Feb. 21 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Cousins stated that Ben Carter Properties has been asked by Cousins to cease use of the name Buckhead Avenues but has refused to change it.
Tivoli Properties hires
VP of development
Tivoli Properties, Inc., an Atlanta-based real estate development and management company, hired Doug Jones as vice president of development.
Jones began his career with Trammell Crow Company in Charlotte, N.C., where he oversaw the development of more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial real estate in five years. He provided project management and new business development services for companies such as Microsoft, Bank of America, United Healthcare, Exxon Mobil and Speedway Motorsports. Prior to joining Tivoli, Jones was the director of development for the Southeast region for Intrawest ULC, where he helped develop resort destinations, single-family residential communities, condominiums, hotels and master-planned resort communities.
Tivoli Properties was founded by Scott L. Leventhal and John W. Jones. Tivoli’s primary focus is on the development of condominium high-rises, urban condominiums and multifamily housing, primarily in Atlanta’s intown and Buckhead housing market. Through its subsidiary entities, it also develops single-family and multifamily subdivisions and provides third-party construction and development management services.
— John Schaffner


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Summer travel forecast shows highest levels for airline passengers in six yearsMay 15, 2014 Updated: May 15, 2014 1:04pm
Summer air travel is forecast to rise to its highest level in six years and hit an all-time high for those travelling internationally, an airline industry group said Thursday.
Airlines for America, which represents U.S.-based airlines, said about 210 million passengers will fly with those carriers from June 1 to Aug. 31, up 1.5 percent from 2013 and the highest since pre-recession 2007, when 217 million people took flight.
The trade group's annual Summer Travel Forecast also predicts 29.9 million of those passengers will fly on international flights. The most popular destinations include Canada, Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom.
"It's a great time to fly, as air travel remains one of the best consumer bargains in America, given its superior speed and affordability," said John Heimlich, Airlines for America's vice president and chief economist. "U.S. airlines are well prepared to accommodate the increased travel demand in the summer months by adding seats and continuing to make customer-focused investments in their product."
To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.
In the first quarter of this year, U.S. airlines had strong operational performance and modest profits, despite the harsh winter, Heimlich said. The nine publicly traded U.S. carriers reported a net profit of $401 million, a 1.1 percent net profit margin. Operating revenue rose 3.7 percent year-over-year, thanks to a 1.1 percent increase in the number of air travelers, according to Airlines for America.
"The modest margins are enabling airlines to shore up their balance sheets while accelerating reinvestment in people, products and technologies that enhance the overall travel experience," Heimlich said. "In the first quarter, airlines did a great job meeting the needs of their customers despite facing severe winter weather, including two of the worst aviation weather days ever recorded."
Heimlich said modest profits allowed airlines to add seats and new aircrafts, improve cabins with larger overhead bins and premium seats and add mobile technology. In total, airlines spent $12 billion to improve their planes and airport terminals and lounges since last year.
The price to fly per mile increase 0.8 percent from last year, he said. But he added that personal incomes rose 2.8 percent during that time.
Airlines for America represents Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.


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The mobile world is heading into the industry’s equivalent of the seven-year itch, Motorola Mobility President Rick Osterloh said, and today’s leaders will likely cycle out.
BlackBerry is the most recent example of this phenomena, going from addictive and ubiquitous “Crackberry” to near irrelevance over that period, Osterloh said in his interview with Re/code’s Walt Mossberg Tuesday at the Code/Mobile conference. Similarly, Samsung, the smartphone leader by market share, is also showing signs of weakness.
“Samsung is wobbling right now,” Osterloh said. “Will they still be a market leader in seven years? It’s really hard to say.”
The sentiment is all the more poignant coming from the head of a company that invented the modern wireless era. Motorola’s StarTac and Razr phones were iconic devices that defined how consumers communicated with one another. Apple’s 2007 introduction of the iPhone wiped Motorola from the market.
Though it may not dominate the mobile market as it once did, this faddish churn in the mobile industry represents an opportunity for a resurgent Motorola, according to Osterloh, who spoke about the company’s rebound from its “near-death experience” prior to its 2011 acquisition by Google. It has dramatically slashed headcount and winnowed its product line.
“We’re growing at over 100 percent a year,” Osterloh said. “We introduced the leader in value phones with the Moto G, which is our best-selling smartphone of all time. The turnaround has happened because we started making great products again.”
To be sure, Motorola is starting off a small base — a three percent share of the global market.
The Moto G has allowed Osterloh to carve out a place for Motorola in the emerging markets with a smartphone priced under $200. The Moto X has seen early success in emerging markets such as Brazil, where it holds a 20 percent market share, and in India, where it has risen to the No. 4 spot among smartphone makers.
Osterloh said Motorola’s pending $2.9 billion acquisition by Lenovo would accelerate the smartphone maker’s comeback — especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Lenovo has a huge China business, a great business throughout the Asia-Pacific and Europe,” Osterloh said. “Right away, Motorola will be all over the world. It will double the number of countries today.”
Osterloh said he will remain with the new company and will be head of the Lenovo division.
Innovation also will play a key role in Motorola’s revival. He cited the Moto 360 smartwatch as an example of a rekindling of the company’s innovative spirit. Such devices have yet to catch on with consumers, but Motorola hopes its watch, which looks more like a traditional timepiece, will hold more appeal than its Android competitors.
This device, Osterloh claims, has greater sex appeal.
“It was not easy to make square components fit in a round thing,” Osterloh said. “We decided about a year ago — maybe a bit more — that watches had to be round for it to be adopted by people who aren’t just interested in the tech.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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Ousted CEO wants to buy Market Basket
After a woman bought a home she said it started to stink.
After a Pleasant Hill, Iowa woman bought a home, she said it started to stink.
Tap here to view the video on your mobile device.
Police are investigating a strange case in a California community, where porcelain dolls are being left on the doorsteps of girls they hold an eerie resemblance to.


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Slacker Picks Up Six Million New Users Since Relaunching In February
In the ever-changing world of streaming music, Slacker has made a name for itself. And that name is getting bigger. Since re-launching in February, the music service has revealed its latest audience growth figures, adding over six million new users in that span. Here are a few tidbits from the company.
Since mid-February, new users are coming, they're listening longer, and they're subscribing:Slacker is the only digital music service that has billing and distribution deals with every major North American wireless provider, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. In addition, Slacker is available in vehicles produced by major automotive manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler Group, Acura, Honda, Scion, Subaru and Tesla. By tapping into those existing ecosystems, it has a chance to gain steam in a major way. And by the looks it, it's well on the way.
· More than six million new listeners joined, with 3.5 million on mobile
· People have increased average listening time by 25 percent
· Slacker is now installed on more than three times as many iOS devices
· Rocking the charts, Slacker is consistently ranked among the top three grossing apps on the App Store Top Grossing Chart
· More than 100,000 new paid subscribers have joined
"We're thrilled with the results of our relaunch; since mid-February millions of new people are tuning into Slacker, they're spending more time listening, and our paid subscriber base is growing fast," said Jim Cady, CEO of Slacker. "And with our proven business model, Slacker is the only digital music service that is gross margin positive on every listener – whether they're ad-supported or a paid subscriber."


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National Games Hall of Fame / Athletics
It’s a crowded field this year for Hall of Fame nominees.
Some are expensive. Some are cheap. The youngest of them is only 27 years old. Older, OK – it’s hard to tell exactly how long the spinning surfaces were, but suffice it to say they appeared on some ancient Greek pottery.
There is Bingo, the classic lottery game that dates back to the 1500s. There nerf. There is the humble piñata.
They are all vying for a handful of coveted spots at the National Toy Hall of Fame, a long-running exhibition taking place at the powerful National Toy Museum in Rochester, New York.
“All of these 12 games have what it takes to be a contender for the 2022 class,” Christopher Bench, the museum’s vice president for collections, said in a statement.
Since Hall’s founding in 1998, 77 different games have become Hall of Famers. About half of them are from branded toys, such as Radio Flyer Wagon, Lego, and Rubik’s Cube. The others are adorable generic toys, from a teddy bear to a kite to a cardboard box.
In potential Hall of Fame entrants, strongmen are looking for four qualities, museum officials said: iconic status, longevity enough to be enjoyed by several different generations, a sense that the game promotes “learning, creativity, or discovery,” and some kind of innovation in gameplay. or game design.
This year’s finalists include Rack-O, Spirograph and Breyer horses. Another competitor is Catan – the German board game first released in 1995 as The Settlers of Catan – which has sold 32 million copies worldwide and helped introduce Americans to the Eurogame style of the board game that has since become mainstream.
The most popular peak days for this round of nominees were the ’80s: Puppies Puppies, Masters of the Universe (including He-Man and She-Ra), the Stage 10 card game and the electric lighting game Lite-Brite, shown to the hall Comes of Fame in the wake of A noteworthy appearance in the new season of Netflix Weird things.
“These 12 games span across gaming history. The top is as old as civilization itself and bingo has been played in some form for hundreds of years. Universe Masters and Pound Puppies became classics in the ’80s, but they also greatly enriched the gaming world.”
Last year, the three recruits were American Girl Dolls, the board game risk and that “dry, gritty matter consists of small loose pieces of rock, soil, minerals, and precious stones” more commonly known as sand.
The public can vote until September 21 with a “Player’s Choice” ballot. An advisory committee will make the final decisions. Selections will be announced in November.
#Nerf #Catan #Bingo #among #finalists #National #Games #Hall #Fame


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American retail giant Target, a self-confessed long-time technology laggard, is now on a mission to catapult itself to the digital vanguard both inside and outside its shops. Top of its list: an in-store mobile phone navigation system that guides customers around cavernous floors using what could become the hottest information delivery vehicle in brick-and-mortar shopping since the barcode – lights.
Lux has learned that a technology called visible light communication (VLC) is almost certainly a key component of what $73 billion Target is trumpeting as its new, customer friendly, transformative, ‘mobile in-store experience’.
A bouncy promotional video on Target’s website shows a happy, confident, digitally-enabled young shopper entering a Target store where her smartphone – for much of the time mounted on her shopping trolley facing up toward the lights – welcomes her with a free cup of Starbucks coffee, shows her the fastest route to the Tide laundry detergents, and sends her comparison information on a variety of soaps once she gets there. At the end of her efficient but jaunty journey, the phone and its app help her to pay at the checkout, assuring the smile remains on her face.
The video makes no mention of lighting technology (although you don’t have to look hard to see omnipresent lights looming over her shoulder throughout the reel), and Target would not confirm that the in-store system is based on lighting.
The retailer referred technical queries to the system’s provider, Bellevue, Washington-based integrator Point Inside, which offers in-store navigation and location technology called StoreMode.
‘Target has integrated our StoreMode platform into their mobile app,’ a Point Inside spokesperson said. ‘The StoreMode platform supports a range of indoor location solutions that augment our core product location services. These include beacons, Wi-Fi, mobile phone sensors, lighting technology, and other emerging technology. We can’t comment on the specific elements or technology that are included in our partner implementations.’
Point Inside stopped short of specifically saying that Target has tapped the lighting capability. In response to a general question about lighting-linked systems, the company said: ‘At the moment, we aren’t working with many retailers who use this type of indoor location.’ She declined to confirm whether Target is one of the few who are using it.
Getting in position
The technology is believed to be VLC, a fledgling tool that some industry pundits say will become an invaluable means for retailers to engage customers. VLC has many possible applications (including the creation of light-based alternatives to Wi-Fi networks) but the one expected to take off first is ‘indoor positioning’, in which LED luminaires pinpoint a smartphone’s exact location in a store so that retailers can send shoppers information on nearby products. With the ability to locate a phone to within about 10 centimetres, it’s way more accurate than GPS, and allows retailers to determine exactly what display a shopper has paused at. And unlike GPS, it has no problem working indoors.
VLC takes advantage of the fact that LED lights actually flash on and off constantly, but much too fast for the human eye to see. It tweaks the frequency at which the lights flicker, allowing data to be encoded like morse code. It’s the same way a remote control sends a signal to a TV, but using visible light instead of infrared. All this is imperceptible to the human eye -– the lights just continue to shine as normal – but it can be picked up by the built-in camera of a computer or smartphone. An app on the phone can then use the data to pinpoint its position in a store.
The technology is a potentially excellent fit with retail infrastructure, because all stores have lights. Thus, the same modern LED technology known for slashing energy consumption and maintenance costs can now play an integral role in information technology undertakings – the same concept that is beginning to drive the deployment of intelligent, internet-connected LED streetlighting in cities like Los Angeles.
Suppliers of VLC include US firms GE, Acuity, specialist ByteLight, and Scottish startup PureVLC. GE has been partnering with ByteLight, although that relationship will most likely change with the acquisition of ByteLight this week by Acuity, which itself has partnered with Qualcomm on VLC. Ligthing giant Philips has also championed the technology.
It is not clear how many of Target’s nearly 1,800 stores use VLC. The number is believed to be small, but is expected to grow this year. Minneapolis-based Target declined an interview.
At Target’s recent corporate analyst meeting, the company’s chief strategy and innovation officer Casey Carl described the in-store system as part of an overarching plan to embrace digital technology and the ‘internet of things’ so that customers – Target calls them ‘guests’ – can shop, buy or browse from home, remotely or in-store via digital devices.
The scheme puts a heavy emphasis on mobile phones – which Target says nearly all of its customer use to shop – and on making shopping easier.
‘We’ve seen nothing short of explosive growth in mobile,’ Carl said at the analyst meeting. ‘If you look at our guests and how they want to shop, mobile is truly the new front door to Target. Now, this is a staggering statistic. Ninety eight per cent of Target guests shop digitally, and the vast majority of that shopping occurs using a mobile device. From a routine trip for groceries to creating a wedding registry, almost everything begins on mobile. Last year mobile traffic grew 44 per cent and conversions shot up sixty nine per cent.’
Mobile mobile everywhere
The in-store navigation system marks an ambitious attempt to extend Target’s mobile offering.
‘We’re going to continue to improve on the mobile experience in a number of ways this year – evolving the user experience by improving our in-store location and navigation capabilities, greater mobile payments integration, and testing new technologies like iBeacons to make shopping even more personalised,’ Carl said. He did not refer to lighting technology. (iBeacons are Apple’s version of a technology called beacons, which transmit data using a low energy bluetooth technology. They are typically used indoors where erratic mobile signals can undermine traditional GPS location methods.)
Target chairman and CEO Brian Cornell was similarly imbued with the spirit of smartphoneism.
‘We will be a brand that separates itself from others based on merchandising authority and experience, centered on ease and on inspiration,’ he told analysts. ‘We’ll enable mobile to be the front door to all of Target. Importantly, we’ll reassert our cultural leadership to build unparalleled guest affinity. And we will be a more agile, a more efficient, and a more guest-focused headquarter team.’
Reversal of fortune?
The company’s born-again technology movement marks an attempt to reverse years of digital dawdling, according to Target executives.
‘As consumers rapidly embraced digital, we reacted too slowly,’ Carl said. ‘We played catch-up, and we treated the businesses separately, while competitors who doubled down their investments and moved to integrate their organisations grabbed market share… We learned a lot, and we will not be caught flat-footed again.’
Target has been on the financial mend over the last couple of years. Its troubles have included a massive breach of credit card data in 2013, for which it ended up paying $19 million (£13 million) as a settlement to credit companies. In 2013 sales dropped by 0.9 percent and it suffered a slump in same-store sales for four consecutive quarters until it reported a rise in November last year.
Blurring the line between digital and physical
Digital sales grew 30 per cent and accounted for 0.9 per cent of the comparable growth in 2014. They are expected to outpace sales growth in physical stores, although Target has now intentionally combined digital and physcial world sales into one ‘single-segment’ business.
‘Many of you ask us to isolate the economics of our digital business,’ chief financial officer John Mulligan said at the annual analyst meeting. ‘It’s a natural question, because we have some online-only competitors and some other brick-and-mortar competitors who treat the digital channel as a distinct business.
‘However, given our operating model and our strategic plans, we don’t think of our digital channel a separate. At the highest level our goal is to grow both top line and the bottom line by creating profitable retail relationships with guests, and we are agnostic to the channel in which a guest chooses to interact with our brand.’
The VLC-linked ‘mobile in-store experience’ puts teeth into that combined digital/physical approach. For instance, shoppers who arrive at a store with shopping lists and product information already prepared on their Target app can then tie into the navigation sytem to find their items.
Anything that can be digitised, will be
Target is also developing other digital technologies that link into a user’s app, such as the ‘Zero Click’ programme in which intelligent sensors note when someone is running low on a product like nappies (diapers) and prompts the customer accordingly.
To hasten development of all of these technologies (perhaps including addressing privacy protection, an issue sure to arise), it created a new ‘transformation office’ last year, headed by Carl. It hired a new chief information officer, Mike McNamara, formerly of UK retail giant Tesco (which has had its own share of setbacks in recent years).
‘We have been aggressively hiring data scientists, engineers, product managers, and visual merchandisers,’ Carl noted.
That crop of new hires almost certainly includes lighting engineers, whose job description will go well beyond simply illuminating the shop floors. Light for light’s sake? That’s so last year. Next time you walk in as a Target ‘guest’, you might not know it, but they could be welcoming you to the era of converged lighting and data.
Lux will be holding a Connected Lighting in Retail Conference at the Cavendish Centre in central London on Wednesday 27 September 2017 . The event will consider how connected lighting can be utilised to interact with shoppers and what new technologies are best suited to this task. The conference will also advise you on the best ways to become a player in this exciting emerging market. You find out more and register to attend by clicking here.
UPDATE: This article was amended on 27 April to say that Point Inside did not outright confirm that lighting is part of the StoreMode system at Target, but that StoreMode, which Target uses, can indeed support lighting. We also added a quote from Point Inside indicating that some of Point Inside’s retail customers leverage the lighting aspect.
Images are screengrabs from Target’s video


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- One-in-three working Canadians are managing their own side business.
- More than a third (35%) of working Canadians are actively working on or considering setting up a business.
- One in six working Canadians have participated in the gig economy.
- 58% would start a business in a sector different than their current one.
- 57% working Canadians do not think the current federal government has created a favourable environment to set up a business.
(Toronto, September 17, 2019) – One-in-three working Canadians are managing their own side business and 42 per cent are working more than one job, according to a new Sage Survey in Canada, in partnership with Angus Reid Global, a market research agency. In addition, one in six working Canadians have participated in the gig economy.
Side hustles create an alternative path for working Canadians seeking a career change. For those working Canadians who have yet to start a side hustle, more than one-third (35%) are actively working on or considering setting up a business. In fact, 58 per cent would start a business in a sector different than their current one.
The survey, conducted from August 22 to 26, 2019, solicited responses from 1604 working Canadians across the nation, holding full-time or part-time positions or are self-employed, as well as 624 business owners with one or more employees. It found these current or would-be side hustlers are primarily motivated by their desire:
- For more flexibility / independence/ work-life balance (49%)
- To pursue their passion (39%)
- Create their own environment (38%)
“The entrepreneurial spirit in Canada is stronger than ever,” said Paul Struthers, EVP and Managing Director of Sage in Canada. “There’s a clear desire and energy for side hustle amongst Canadians, which tells us that they see real opportunities ahead in finding new customers and underserved markets. Business leaders and governments should do everything possible to help foster these ambitions, so that we can create more jobs and opportunities for our next generation.”
Workers Are Moving Away from a Linear Career Path for Change
The majority (75%) of working Canadians feel secure about their current employment. Nevertheless, many are ready to consider new opportunities, sometimes in new industry sectors:
- 63% would consider new job opportunities
- One-in-five (19%) working Canadians are actively seeking new job opportunities
- Almost half (46%) of these job seekers would move to a new sector
They are also confident that they can find a new opportunity quickly. Only 17% of working Canadians believe they will take longer than 12 months to find another job.
Financial reward is not the biggest driver. 71 per cent of working Canadians would consider a lateral move to another opportunity and a quarter would take a step down financially. The top three reasons for them to seek new opportunities are:
- Interest in another career path
- Bored and unchallenged by the current work
- Lack of opportunities to use their skills/abilities
“We’re seeing working Canadians and business owners committed to their personal and professional growth,” said Demetre Eliopoulos, Managing Director of Public Affairs at Angus Reid Global. “With the emergence of the gig economy and technology lowering the barriers to starting a business, people are finding more and more opportunities in the marketplace - doing more than one job or running a side business. Their ambitions are shaping the future of our economy.”
About the Survey
In partnership with Sage in Canada, Angus Reid Global conducted an online survey among a representative sample of 1604 employed adult Canadians and 624 business owners. The respondents are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, this sample plan would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points and 3.9 percentage points respectively, 19 times out of 20.
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Sage (FTSE: SGE) is the global market leader for technology that helps businesses of all sizes manage everything from money to people – whether they’re a start-up, scale-up or enterprise. We do this through Sage Business Cloud - the one and only business management solution that customers will ever need, comprising Accounting, Financials, Sage Intacct, Enterprise Management, People & Payroll and Payments & Banking.
Our mission is to free business builders from the burden of admin, so they can spend more time doing what they love – and we do that every day for three million customers across 23 countries, through our 13000 colleagues and a network of accountants and partners. We are committed to doing business the right way, and giving back to our communities through Sage Foundation.
Find out more at https://www.sage.com/ca/.
About Angus Reid Global
Angus Reid is Canada’s most well-known and respected name in public opinion and market research data. Offering a variety of research solutions to businesses, brands, governments, not-for-profit organizations and more, the Angus Reid Global team connects technologies and people to derive powerful insights that inform your decisions. Data is collected through a suite of tools utilizing the latest technologies. Prime among that is the Angus Reid Forum, an opinion community consisting of engaged residents across the country who answer surveys on topical issues that matter to all Canadians.


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Wright Express Increases Power of WEXOnline®
SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE - Wright Express has set a new industry standard for online programs with the latest upgrade of WEXOnline®, a comprehensive account management tool designed to help fleet managers save time and money. Wright Express LLC, the nation's leader in providing fleet management services, said the enhancements make the online program even more sophisticated and provide more of the tools requested by customers such as real-time access to reports and customizable card level limits to combat costly misuse. Already, WEXOnline is the only online tool in the industry that allows users to perform account maintenance functions and view detailed transaction reports from a single, integrated platform.
"We take pride in offering the most comprehensive, powerful online product in the fleet card industry," said Michael E. Dubyak, president and chief executive officer of Wright Express. "WEXOnline is a tool that helps our customers work better, smarter and more efficiently. These enhancements are simply another way we work with customers to provide complete customer service."
Among the enhancements made to WEXOnline are: purchase alerts delivered via email to quickly inform managers of potential card misuse, the ability to access and view vehicle analysis reports online, invoices that immediately post online at the end of the billing cycle, and the option to eliminate paper reports in favor of online access. Transaction details available in online reports include purchase information, driver information, vehicle information and station information. In addition, many users can use WEXOnline to find the lowest priced gasoline in an area.
WEXOnline is already a powerful account maintenance tool that allows users to perform functions such as adding and deleting card users and performing other account changes all online.
Wright Express offers a how-to video for drivers, a special handbook for fleet managers and online help. The new WEXOnline officially launches July 29. "There is not another online product available in our industry that offers the level of sophisticated features, simplicity and value to customers as WEXOnline," Dubyak said.
The upgrade to WEXOnline is one part of a major technology initiative now underway at Wright Express that will greatly enhance the features and products the company can offer to customers and streamline all aspects of customer interface with the company. Wright Express has begun implementing elements of the upgrade and will continue to implement new technology into 2004.
South Portland-based Wright Express is the leading provider of fleet charge cards to the fleet maintenance and fueling industry with its cards accepted at more than 160,000 locations. Wright Express also provides information management, payment processing, and financial services to fleets through card partnerships. Through its own universal fleet card program, its partnersÕ card programs and its MasterCard program, Wright Express has 3.8 million commercial cards in its markets. Wright Express LLC, a subsidiary of Cendant Corp., employs more than 640 people at its headquarters in South Portland, Maine and its subsidiary in Salt Lake City.
For more information, visit www.wrightexpress.com.
©2003 Wright Express, LLC. All rights reserved.